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Shed bad sales habits this month to boost insurance sales

Boost insurance sales by tossing these bad habits

Regardless as to whether you finished the quarter by beating all your sales goals or just barely squeaked in under the wire, it's time to take inventory of your sales technique to see if there are some bad habits to toss so that you can boost insurance sales significantly next quarter. Ready to get started?

We've broken this topic into three areas, since we always provide you with three tips: cold calling, presenting and nurturing.

Drop these cold-calling bad habits to boost insurance sales

1. Calling over and over - and over again. This should stop you in your tracks: Cold calling has a 1-3 percent success rate, according to DuctTapeMarketing. What a waste of your time! Instead, leverage social media, networking events and referrals to provide you with warm, not cold prospects.

2. Using a one-size-fits-all outreach email or script. Ditch the email batch-and-blast with a generic script and invest in research, says Hubspot: "By doing research, reps can gain a wealth of information about their prospects, and develop pitches around their specific needs." See what information you can find on their company or personal website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media, their blog, and other search sites. Get more email tips to grow your book of business.

Rethink your presentation to boost insurance sales

1. Don't talk about your company (or yourself) first. This is NOT the way to start your presentation. Why? At this point, it's not important to your prospects, and you're bound to lose them. You wouldn't talk all about yourself the entire time on your first date. Nor would you talk only about yourself at a social event. Show the same manners here: Ask questions about them, their company and their insurance needs so you can uncover their pain points. Learn more insurance sales skills here.

2. Be a good listener. The prospect is giving you verbal and non-verbal cues. Observe them, assess them, and use them when it's your turn to present. They should be doing most of the talking at this point, so be ready with questions to draw them out, if they're slow to expound. Don't be so busy trying to figure out how to segue into your pitch that you miss what they're telling you - and not telling you.

Nurture long-term to boost insurance sales

1. Deliver what you promised. During your presentation, did you promise to email them an article you read? The contact information of a vendor or someone else? Follow through to show how reliable and customer-conscious you are.

2. Don't bug them with "Just checking in" emails. Instead, create a thoughtful message that offers them value. Send a link to an article you know they'll like. Be relevant in their world.

We at Arrowhead are wishing you a very successful and prosperous New Year!